John Pulteney facts for kids

John Pulteney was an important English lawyer and politician who lived a long time ago, from before 1668 until 1726. He was a member of the Whig political party. He served as a Member of Parliament (MP) in the English and British Parliament from 1695 to 1710.

Early Life and Education

John Pulteney was the son of Sir William Pulteney. He went to Westminster School, which was a well-known school at the time. He later studied law at Inner Temple in 1676 and also attended Christ Church, Oxford in 1677. By 1682, he had become a lawyer. He was married to Lucy Colville.

A Career in Government

John Pulteney started his career in government in 1689. He worked in different important roles.

• He was a deputy-lieutenant for Middlesex. This meant he helped manage local affairs.
• He worked as an under-secretary in different government departments, helping with official tasks.
• He also served as a secretary to Lord Sydney, who was a key figure in the government.
• Pulteney even went with Lord Sydney on a military campaign in Flanders in 1691.
• Later, when Lord Sydney became the leader in Ireland, Pulteney became one of his secretaries. He also got a job as a clerk for the council in Ireland, which was a job for life.
• From 1692 to 1693, he was a Member of Parliament in Ireland.
• He also worked at the Board of Ordnance, which managed military supplies.

Serving in Parliament

In 1695, John Pulteney was elected as a Member of Parliament for Hastings. He was a Whig, which was one of the main political groups at the time.

• He supported the government on important decisions, like setting the price of money.
• He also helped with a special investigation into a person named Sir John Fenwick in 1696.
• In 1701, he got a better job at the ordnance office, which paid well.
• He was re-elected as an MP for Hastings several times, in 1698, 1701, 1702, and 1705.
• In 1707, he joined the Board of Trade, which dealt with business and trade matters, earning a good salary.
• He was elected again in 1708. He voted on important issues like allowing people from other countries to become British citizens.
• In 1710, he lost his seat in the election, but he continued to work at the Board of Trade for a while.

Later Life and Contributions

Even after leaving Parliament, John Pulteney continued to serve the public.

• In 1700, he helped fund the building of Hastings Town Hall with another person named Peter Gott.
• In 1714, he became a Commissioner of the Board of Customs, which collected taxes on goods coming into the country.
• From 1715, he was also part of a group that helped build new churches.
• He tried to become an MP for Hastings again in 1722 but lost by just one vote.
• After that, he was given another important job as the surveyor-general of crown lands, managing royal properties.

Family and Legacy

John Pulteney passed away on 23 May 1726. He had a son named Daniel Pulteney. John Pulteney was also the uncle of William Pulteney, who became a very famous politician and was known as the Earl of Bath.